The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) on Friday, September 4, warned of further action over the violence reported in Bordumsa in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district during a hearing related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
AAPSU president Meje Taku, along with general secretary Mato Bui and convenor Tadar Baro, said the organisation would continue its campaign over the issue involving the Chakma community. The union is expected to announce its next course of action on September 12.
Speaking on the developments, Taku said, “They have started the fight, and we will finish it,” indicating that the students’ body intends to continue pursuing the matter.
Taku also appealed to the Home Department not to register FIRs against any AAPSU leader in connection with the incident and the developments that followed.
The latest statement comes days after violence was reported in Bordumsa during proceedings linked to the SIR of electoral rolls. The issue has become a point of contention amid objections from student organisations over the inclusion of Chakma people who, according to the organisations, had entered Arunachal Pradesh after 2006.
The situation reportedly worsened during discussions at the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner. Stone-pelting was reported at the office during the proceedings, following which clashes took place between members of AAPSU and Chakma organisations.
Police intervened after the situation escalated and brought the situation under control.
The SIR exercise has added to tensions surrounding questions of electoral eligibility and the presence of Chakma people in parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The objections raised by student organisations have focused on those they allege entered the state after 2006 and their inclusion in the electoral rolls.
AAPSU’s latest warning signals that the issue is likely to remain a subject of discussion in the coming days. The organisation has said it will decide and announce its next course of action on September 12.
